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Don’t Ask Me

“It’s time someone said something about it!”, or “You ought to write a book about . . . ” I hear those sorts of things all the time. But, wait a minute-why should I be the one to do it? What about you? If you’re the person with the burden, you ought to write the book-or the article-or do that ‘something’–or keep quiet! I’m about up to here [look up into the sky at a passing cloud, please] with people who see needs, express their desires for others to meet them, and themselves do nothing but talk. When they pressure others to “do something,” they seem to think that they’ve exhausted their responsibility. Not so!

Now, another thing (since I’m at it) let me tell you that all of that pressuring usually will get you nowhere. At least with me. If I write about a matter, it’s because I want to do so-not because I’ve been pressured into it. I once wrote something under such pressure, but it was the worst thing I ever wrote (except, come to think of it, some papers in college). I’m sure that others besides me have experienced people with pet concerns grabbing their arms and demanding, “You must do something about that!” If they are bold enough to tell you what to do, why don’t they show some of that boldness by doing it themselves?

There are people who have clout who could do what the rest of us can’t do as well-but won’t. There are people without clout who could do what the rest of us can’t do as well-but won’t. It runs both ways. But whether or not you have clout-do that something you always keep talking about, and we won’t have to struggle to overcome your insistence that we do something you could do better anyway.

Sure, I know-You’ve “never done that before,’ have no expertise, training, or whatever. So what? Try anyway. There was a time when the rest of us who are doing something couldn’t either. But we had to get started. 95% of the task is right there-get started, make a first attempt. Then stick to it until you achieve your purpose. Get the resources, if you need them. Learn the skills necessary to pull it off, if you haven’t yet acquired them. Spend time discovering what is necessary to get the job done. Then, do it rather than wasting your time and theirs trying to convince others to fulfill your desires or dreams! At any rate, get with it-do something and stop bugging others to do it for you!